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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23410393">The Sound of Fear</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitkatcandyful/pseuds/Kitkatcandyful'>Kitkatcandyful</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life of the Party D&amp;D (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Backstory, Panic Attacks, Punishment, Torture, its very sad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:00:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,586</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23410393</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitkatcandyful/pseuds/Kitkatcandyful</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What Sariel's life might have been like for her before the party. Inspired by Sariel's recent nightmare (episode 32) so potential spoilers if you are not completely caught up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Sound of Fear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Drip… drip… drip…</p>
<p>Sariel’s eyes slowly fluttered open, though she wasn’t sure why she had bothered. Nothing had changed since she had closed them not so long ago. Her darkvision was in full effect, bathing her world in dull shades of grey. Without it she knew the darkness would be absolute. There were no light sources in her small enclosure, no windows to show her the time of day or night it was. Even the single door in the room had been designed so that even if there was a light source on the other side none would find its way in. Pure unmitigated darkness. </p>
<p>Though her gift of sight prevented complete blindness in this situation she didn’t find it to be much of a comfort. Besides herself there was nothing else in this room, if you could even call it that. It was more like a space someone had roughly dug out of the stone in the vague shape of a room. The walls were sharp and jagged, making leaning on them painful and uncomfortable. The floor was hardly any better. </p>
<p>Despite that Sariel lay curled on said floor, her back close but not touching the back wall. Her more recent wounds had finally receded from a sharp pain to a more dull ache, but she knew any contact or unnecessary movement would flare them up again. So she tried her best to stay perfectly still and conserve as much energy as possible. She had wanted to sleep, to help what little healing her body could manage on its own but….</p>
<p>Drip… drip… drip…</p>
<p>The incessant noise had once again driven its way to the forefront of her mind, driving all thoughts of sleep away. The noise was as much a part of this room as the stone around her. For as long as she could remember it had always been there whenever she was put in this place. The first few times she had searched the entire space trying to find its origin but to no avail. Despite how loud the dripping was it was not coming from inside the room. Over time, Sariel had just come to accept it as another part of her reality. Just one more thing she had no control over.</p>
<p>Though not always consistent, the steady dripping had become almost like a clock for her. The only proof she had of any time passing at all while alone in the dark. Minutes, hours, days. They all tended to blend together the longer she was left alone. The only contact ever offered to her during these particular punishments was when a servant brought her her meager amount of food and water. But it was established early on that she was never to talk to them. Only to take the food and eat it right away before they would take the dishware and leave again. The punishment for failing to do either was one she did not care to repeat. </p>
<p>Drip… drip… drip…</p>
<p>More time passed. The hollow ache in Sariel’s stomach had grown considerably. The dryness in her throat made her breathing raspy. Perhaps she had been here longer then she’d realized. She felt so weak, all of her senses felt dull and unresponsive. Someone would probably be here soon to give her her meager rations. They had always been good at giving her just enough to keep her alive but never enough to satisfy. </p>
<p>“But what if they don’t?”</p>
<p>The barest hint of an emotion flashed across Sariel’s face. ‘Of course they will. Why wouldn’t they?’ Sariel was pretty sure she hadn’t done anything to warrant such a sentence. Plus they had proven they had far more effective ways of executing those that displeased them.</p>
<p>“Maybe they’ve gotten bored of you. Maybe they finally got tired of how useless you are.”</p>
<p>Sariel instinctively curled further into herself. A few of the jagged scars on her back stretched with the movement, cracking open and oozing blood once again. ‘No. That’s not true.’ This couldn’t be how it ended for her. She had promised the others she would survive this. Promised they would find a way out together. </p>
<p>“And how do you plan to do that? Look at yourself, you can’t even stand up let alone fight someone. You would only hold them back.”</p>
<p>A small whimper escaped Sariel’s dry throat. Her breathing had become labored as her chest seemed to constrict around her lungs. Squeezing her eyes shut, she drug her hands up to her ears trying to block out the noise. The dripping was getting louder, faster. Matching the pounding of her heart beneath her skin. </p>
<p>“Face it, you're nothing more than an object to them. A plaything at best. What would they care if they just left you to rot here. Maybe you should just do everyone a favor and expedite the process.”</p>
<p>Sariel’s entire body flinched. Her breath now strangled gasps as she struggled to pull in air. Her heart was now hammering so loud it filled her ears underneath her hands. Despite that the dripping was always a step louder. It now echoed throughout the chamber, adding even more pressure on Sariel’s already shaking body. </p>
<p>Drip… Drip… Drip…</p>
<p>It was too much. She was drowning, she couldn’t breath. Her heart began to skip painfully in her chest as it struggled to keep beating. She was going to go mad from all the noise. Her hands finally dropped from her ears and wrapped around herself, nails cutting into her skin and blood welling up beneath her fingers. She just wanted everything to stop.</p>
<p>DRIP… DRIP… DR …</p>
<p>Silence. The dripping, her voice, even her heartbeat. Everything was gone. Sariel tried to open her eyes to figure out what was going on but found she couldn’t. In fact, it soon became obvious that she could no longer feel or control any part of her body. Sariel knew she should be worried about this dramatic change in perception but all she felt in this moment was a kind of peace she had never known before. All the pain from her wounds, from the hard floor, even from her own mind, it was like it had never existed in the first place. There was nothing now, nothing but a black silent void around her. Sariel’s thoughts began to grow fuzzy, and disjointed. She could practically feel the darkness creeping into her, absorbing everything piece by piece until she too would be nothing. </p>
<p>“And would that really be such a bad thing?”</p>
<p>Sariel found she couldn’t even form an answer anymore. All she had left of herself where streaks of emotions that flashed briefly in the darkness before each was swallowed. Panic, anger, fear, sadness, until all that was left was a soft sense of relief. Relief that everything would finally be over. </p>
<p>Drip… Drip… Drip…</p>
<p>There was sound now, echoing throughout the darkness. And with each drip ripples of light began to form around her, enveloping what was left of her ravaged consciousness. </p>
<p>“Sariel, starlight, I need you to listen to me ok?”</p>
<p>It was a woman's voice. She sounded frantic, but her voice brought an instant calm to Sariel. It was just… so familiar.</p>
<p>“I know everything seems really scary right now. And I know it’s going to seem like it would be so much easier to just give up and let everything go. But I want you to know that you are destined for so much more than this world has to offer you right now. I’ve seen it. You are going to grow into a beautiful and strong individual. One that can defend her beliefs, and protect those that cannot protect themselves. And I swear to you, that I will do everything that is within my power to make sure this prediction comes true.”</p>
<p>A warmth enveloped Sariel, like a pair of arms bringing her in for a hug. It brought with it a comfort that was filled with happiness and love, but also a deep rooted sadness.</p>
<p>“But I need you to make a promise for me, little starlight. That you will never give in, no matter how hard it gets. That you will fight, and claw, and survive for as long as you can. Because no matter what they or anyone else says, you deserve to live, Sariel. You deserve the right to be happy. So please, please never forget that. Promise me, Sariel, Promise me you wont forget.”</p>
<p>With a thunderous beat of her heart Sariel’s eyes flew open, and every sensation came roaring back to her in a tidal wave of panic and pain. Every one of them magnified from the silence before. Great wracking sobs shook her whole body as she tried desperately to breathe. Rolling onto her back brought a new wave of pain as her wounds made contact with the ground, but was nothing but a drop in an ocean of agony. Digging the heels of her hands into her eyes Sariel laid there and cried as she had not allowed herself to in a very long time. All the while, like a mantra she gasped. “I promise…. I promise…. I promise…”</p>
<p>Tears streaking down her face fell to the rock below, mingling with the small pool of blood that had started to form from her ravaged back. Proof that her heart was still beating, still keeping her tied to this world. And around her the room echoed back, as if the very earth could feel her grief.</p>
<p>Drip… drip… drip…</p>
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